I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

53. Surrender Halves the Loss, Eh?!

A force with the weight of a thousand jun struck down once more, but this time, Zelora had no intention, and *couldn’t* afford to flip and tumble backwards again!

The reason? Hmph! What reason was there needed! He couldn’t very well eat dirt in front of Filora, could he!?

*Clang*

The next moment, before Zelora could even marvel, “As expected of a sword wielded by a young lady like Filora, the quality is top-notch!” a piercing pain and vibration shot through his entire body as if he’d been shaken dozens of times. His old back felt like it was about to snap!

But… at least he’d withstood Ludwig’s strike, not lost face, and more importantly… prevented the danger from reaching Filora!

“Is… is that all!?”

A man had his pride, after all!

Using every ounce of strength to deflect the greatsword before him, but even so, the “damage” he’d inflicted on the elf before him only made her slide back a few steps, that was all!

Honestly, even Zelora himself felt a little embarrassed.

“Zelora, can’t you see!? Stop fighting so hard, people from the Great British Empire will be here soon, you don’t need to worry about all this nonsense, even if you don’t keep an eye on her, it’s fine… I… we’re doing fine now.”

“…”

Fine?

No, not at all.

Zelora didn’t respond, only continuing to lock his hostility onto the elf within his vision, not even sparing a glance back at Filora’s expression.

How could things be fine in a situation like this. True fine, should be Filora and him standing shoulder to shoulder on the same side, that was what fine really meant. Her hiding behind him, her unable to accept it, only made him feel guilt.

So, utterly unacceptable.

I’d only just managed to earn Filora’s approval, and I was already picturing us flaunting our strength together at the academy, pushing each other to improve, shaping our future side-by-side…

But: If I let this opportunity slip by, if I failed to reclaim Filora’s power, if I chose to back down? How could I ever forgive myself after that.

Filora, earning your attention requires merit, even if you never voice it, I’ll hold myself to that standard. At least, if I shrink away now, I’ll forfeit any right to even approach you in the future!

Something within seemed to shift. From that moment on, Zerola no longer seemed to fear the elf before him.

Whether it was “self-hypnosis” or some cosmic surge of power, Zerola had no time to ponder it!

Because, from here on out, only one thing mattered.

He shook off his disarray with a flick of his sword and, without pause, charged toward Ludwig!

“Or…der?”

“Spare me the drivel! Keep it coming!”

Zerola had no patience for the elf’s prattling. “I told you! Until I land a punch on that pretty face of yours and wrest back Filora’s power, there’s no way I’ll be letting this slide!”

And then, time… seemed to freeze in that instant!

Because, the outcome of this contest… was already sealed!

After all, I, not he, was outside the chessboard, as the Hope Fairy, in her haste, unease, and displeasure, abruptly ended everything within!

Her black and white eyes now reflected confusion and dissatisfaction, like a chess player who had been outmaneuvered, almost ready to flip the board.

While I, for my part, experienced a long-lost sensation of “relief,” finally able to summon a sliver of amusement as I glanced toward the fairy.

“What’s wrong? Surely, we haven’t reached intermission yet? The outcome between Zerola and Ludwig isn’t decided, is it?”

Immediately following, I felt two currents of gaze emanating from within the fairy’s separate eyes!

One pinned me in silence, while the other, dripped with angry insincerity.

“After all this, do you truly believe there could be a second possibility?”

“Oh?”

“Hehehe! Euclid, who would have thought you possessed such a side!?”

After a series of mocking laughs…

Horus cast her teacup aside! The red tea splashed out, yet did not touch the ground, instead it floated leisurely in mid-air along with the cup, not far away!

“Aha~ I get it, you simply want me to admit it~ To concede that Zerola won~”

Then, the smile vanished, leaving only boundless animosity. “You cheated.”

“…”

I did not respond, because Horus was not wrong just now: the old geezer had won.

In the chessboard’s timeline, the old geezer, whose strength at the time was far weaker than Ludwig’s, had suddenly “powered up” and then “turned the tables.” There was no need to stubbornly continue watching to know the outcome.

Such an unlikely event occurring, prompted Horus to directly accuse me of “cheating”, which naturally… halted everything on the chessboard, bringing us back to the outside!

“One who cheats is unworthy to play my game, Euclid.”

My silence was taken as consent. In an instant, that fairy transformed, entirely consumed by the “black” side! Philo had told me, this represented the antithesis of hope – “despair.”

“The penalty for cheating is the immediate forfeiture of everything!”

“Is that so? Perhaps you should look again, more closely.”

Because cheating isn’t a matter of a single person’s judgment; it requires a standard. Besides… I hadn’t cheated at all.

“Hee hee hee, there’s no need to continue with the chessboard. Now, as punishment for your loss, you must surrender all your…”

“【Sit down!】”

Horus, who had been about to stir, plopped back into her chair, the sly grin vanished from her face. So what if she was now “despair”? She still stared at me, astonished, as if I were a visitor from another realm.

“Or…Order? How can you…”

“Is it so strange that I can wield Order? Fairy, don’t you forget where Order comes from.”

Order certainly needs Kepher to directly find me, but… Kepher’s existence is temporarily absent. That doesn’t mean Order, or rather…the former elven saintess, Izalis, wouldn’t come looking for me.

Although it consumed considerable time, Izalis managed to find my trail just before that critical moment arrived, and I had kept this power hidden, until just now, when that seemingly hopeless scene unfolded on the chessboard, I chose to use it.

I used “Order” to alter Uncle’s “script,” granting him a “miracle” – a chance to unleash his inner strength for the sake of his beloved. Within this domain, “Order” is limited to such things, but as a surprising maneuver, it’s sufficient.

“Surely, this doesn’t count as cheating? I merely used the power I already possessed. Did you not use your power to initiate this domain?”

Gazing at the astonished “black version” of Horus, I added another sentence!

“【It’s not over yet! Who told you to pause?】”

“【Continue!】”

I won’t act like some fairies, jumping up and down in mockery after winning barely half the game.

Careful, or you’ll lose even the undies off your back in the end.